1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image generating apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to an image generating apparatus comprising a light-emitting device emitting light for display.
2. Description of the Background Art
A switch or a button having a light-emitting device emitting light for display is known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 09-282972 (1997), 05-307922 (1993), 2002-260479, 2005-84460 or 05-41134 (1993) for example. An image generating apparatus including such a switch or a button is known.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 09-282972 discloses a push-button with an operational display having a structure in which a light-emitting device is set at the back of a center of a pressing surface as a light-emitting surface and the light-emitting surface and a set surface of the light-emitting device are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and capable of uniformly brightening the pressing surface (light-emitting surface) due to a uniform thickness of a light guide portion.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 05-307922 discloses a lighting push-button switch in which a light-emitting diode (light-emitting device) is set below a center of a push-button switch top surface as a light-emitting surface and the push-button switch top surface and a set surface of the light-emitting diode are arranged substantially parallel to each other.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-260479 discloses a switch apparatus with a light in which a light source (light-emitting device) is set below a center of a holding sheet (light-emitting surface) and the holding sheet and a set surface of the light source are substantially parallel to each other.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-84460 discloses a button switch or the like having a structure in which a luminous body (light-emitting device) is set below a center of the light-emitting surface and the light-emitting surface and a set surface of the luminous body are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and capable of uniformly brightening the light-emitting surface due to diffusion of guided light by employing a light diffusing material in a light guide portion.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 05-41134 discloses a lighting button apparatus having a structure in which a light-emitting diode (light-emitting device) is set below a center of a lighting portion (light-emitting surface) and the lighting portion and a set surface of the light-emitting diode are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and capable of diffusing incident light and uniformly brightening the lighting portion due to a Fresnel prism (prism having a saw-toothed section) provided on a rear surface (light incident surface) of the lighting portion.
In all sorts of the switches or the buttons described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 09-282972, 05-307922, 2002-260479, 2005-84460 and 05-41134, however, the light-emitting surface and the set surface of the light-emitting device are arranged substantially parallel to each other, and hence it is disadvantageously difficult that the light-emitting surface is uniformly brightened in a structure in which the light-emitting surface is so arranged as to be inclined with respect to the set surface of the light-emitting device. Therefore, also when such a switch or button is employed in an image generating apparatus having a structure in which the light-emitting surface of the switch or the button is so arranged as to be inclined with respect to the set surface of the light-emitting device, it is disadvantageously difficult that the light-emitting surface such as the switch of the image generating apparatus is uniformly brightened.